Bateel
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 3 November 2026 · 5 sources
Dubai gourmet brand best known for dates, also selling chocolates.
Bateel publishes no certification, independent audit or supplier list.
Also worth knowing
Workers in the Dominican Republic and Madagascar are very unlikely to earn a living wage.
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Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 2 red flags: no evidence of a living wage and a hidden supply chain. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- It isn't Harm on record, because there's no serious confirmed problem on its record.
- Lacks transparency is still a poor grade: in supply chains like this, workers who can't be seen to be treated fairly are usually underpaid or unprotected.
Good requirements 1 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsJudged on where its cocoa is grown: worker rights are poorly protected in Brazil, Madagascar and Ecuador.
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Met: No child or forced labour findings or links
- Not met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that list
- Not met: Finds and fixes child labour on cocoa farms (Fairtrade, Fair for Life or its own published monitoring), and traces other high-risk ingredients (hazelnuts) where they're a major part of its range
Red flags 2
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Hidden supply chain: no certification, independent audits or supplier list
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Estimates for its products
Our rules applied to one kind of product at a time, using Bateel's evidence and, where it has product lines, that line's countries. They're estimates: we don't know which factory made any single item.
- A product carrying the Fairtrade mark: Good
Holding one? Scan its barcode for an estimate that uses its care label or ingredients.
Where its cocoa is grown
Bateel names some of the countries its cocoa comes from: Brazil, the Dominican Republic and Madagascar. The rest is shown as where cocoa is usually grown.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Côte d'IvoireUsual for the industry | Regular violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| GhanaUsual for the industry | Strong protections | Well below a living wage | Low |
| Brazil | Systematic violations | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| Dominican Republic | Strong protections | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Madagascar | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| EcuadorUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| CameroonUsual for the industry | Systematic violations | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| NigeriaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Far below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| Belize | We don't have labour ratings for this country yet. | ||
Evidence
What we found
- Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: an estimated 1.5 million children work on cocoa farms in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, and most cocoa farmers earn well below a living income.
- It doesn't show that it checks cocoa farms for child labour and fixes what it finds.
- Uses hazelnuts in only a few products and doesn't show where they come from. That doesn't count against it for Good, but the "Open supply chain" star needs all of them traced, certified or upcycled.
Research notes Bateel mainly sells dates; chocolate is a smaller but real part of its range. It says its single-origin cocoa comes from the Dominican Republic, Madagascar, Brazil and Belize (shown without shares), but gives no shares, suppliers or certification. It publishes no supplier list, audits, wage data or modern slavery statement, and says nothing about workers on its Saudi date farms. Hazelnut praline is used in some fillings.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate Scorecard | Not covered | Bateel is not among the companies sourcing over 1,000 tonnes of cocoa invited to the 2026 (7th edition) Chocolate Scorecard and has no score. View |
Sources and actions
Sources 5
Show all 5 sources
- Luxury food producer Bateel seeks to triple in size by 2029 (AGBI, 2025) · search the archive · Dubai-based; founded by the Al Sudairy family; L Catterton holds 20%; organic date farms in Saudi Arabia; 40 boutiques and 30 cafés
- Bateel at Selfridges (Australia site) · search the archive · Bateel dates and Dubai chocolate bars sold online to Australian shoppers in dollars; no Australian shops found
Published by Bateel or its owner
- A World of Fine Chocolates (Bateel) · search the archive · Pralines, ganache, truffles, bars and date chocolates; cocoa from the Dominican Republic, Madagascar, Brazil and Belize; hazelnut praline filling
- Chocolate Treats (Bateel UAE) · search the archive · Chocolate bark, bars and dragées made with single-origin cocoa from regions including the Dominican Republic, Madagascar, Brazil and Belize
- Date Chocolates (Bateel) · search the archive · Organic Wanan and Kholas dates enrobed in chocolate with fillings; no cocoa sourcing details
Company details
- Last researched
- 3 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Bateel ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/bateel, last researched 3 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
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Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Bateel.